Beyond mandate: ‘ETPB plans to sell gurdwara land’
Lahore High Court asks chairman to submit reply today.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notice to the Evacuee Trust Property Board chairman, Asif Hashmi, for Tuesday (today) on a writ petition challenging alleged sale of land belonging to a gurdwara to Defence Housing Authority.
The petition has been filed by Gulab Singh, a member of the management committee of Bibi Nanki Gurdwara Trust.
The petitioner said that most of the land in Mota Singh village, Lahore Cantt was evacuee trust property and attached to the gurdwara. Being the trust’s property, it should be preserved, the petitioner stated, but the ETPB had already sold most of the land to the DHA. He submitted that the board was now “bent upon” selling the remaining 114 kanals to the housing authority too. According to Singh, he had requested the board chairman not to sell the said property and to transfer it to gurdwara so that it could be expanded. Hashmi, said Singh, had ignored his request.
The Sikh community is disturbed by the “unauthorised sale” of the land attached to the gurdwara, said Singh, adding that the ETPB was a custodian and could not sell the land, except under exceptional circumstance. He said the possible sale would violate the Evacuee Trust Property (Management) Act 1975.
He requested that the board be restrained from disposing of the land.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2012.
The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notice to the Evacuee Trust Property Board chairman, Asif Hashmi, for Tuesday (today) on a writ petition challenging alleged sale of land belonging to a gurdwara to Defence Housing Authority.
The petition has been filed by Gulab Singh, a member of the management committee of Bibi Nanki Gurdwara Trust.
The petitioner said that most of the land in Mota Singh village, Lahore Cantt was evacuee trust property and attached to the gurdwara. Being the trust’s property, it should be preserved, the petitioner stated, but the ETPB had already sold most of the land to the DHA. He submitted that the board was now “bent upon” selling the remaining 114 kanals to the housing authority too. According to Singh, he had requested the board chairman not to sell the said property and to transfer it to gurdwara so that it could be expanded. Hashmi, said Singh, had ignored his request.
The Sikh community is disturbed by the “unauthorised sale” of the land attached to the gurdwara, said Singh, adding that the ETPB was a custodian and could not sell the land, except under exceptional circumstance. He said the possible sale would violate the Evacuee Trust Property (Management) Act 1975.
He requested that the board be restrained from disposing of the land.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2012.